Research on Paper‐Based Friction Materials With High Porosity and Excellent Friction Performance

ABSTRACT Paper‐based friction materials, widely used in transmissions due to their porous structure and superior friction performance. In this study, Paper‐based friction materials were prepared by incorporating water‐soluble phenolic resin (WSPR) into the pulp and investigated the effect of its content on the performance of the friction materials. Results indicate that in the pulp, polyethylene oxide(PEO) and WSPR exerted a synergistic effect through hydrogen bonds and dispersion forces. As the WSPR content increases, the shear strength, compression resilience, and hardness of paper‐based friction materials improved, while the porosity, oil absorption time, friction coefficient decreased. Specifically, When the WSPR content was 30 wt%, the paper‐based friction material exhibited porosity of 78.15%, hardness of 83.4 HRR, and oil absorption time of 14 s. the friction coefficient was 0.138, the wear rate was 6.54 × 10 −6 (cm 3 /J). Furthermore, compared to the phenolic resin (ethanol) impregnation method, the WSPR pulp addition method for preparing materials resulted in a 29.7% increase in porosity and a 12.3% increase in the friction coefficient. This study demonstrated that friction materials prepared by incorporating WSPR into pulp exhibit enhanced porosity and superior frictional performance while simultaneously reducing solvent gas emissions.